WINDHOEK: The late veteran of the liberation struggle, Tulinane Obed Emvula, has been accorded an official funeral by the government.
A memorial service for Emvula will be held on Saturday, while the burial service will take place on Sunday, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology said in a statement issued Friday.
The memorial service will take place at Emvula’s homestead at Oshikuku in the Omusati Region, and he will be buried at the Oshikuku cemetery.
Emvula died on 01 January 2024. He was born on 04 June 1943 at Okando.
He became a Swapo member in 1962 and was appointed as the Chief Swapo Representative in 1977.
In 1971 and 1974, Emvula organised several political rallies at the Onandjokwe Hospital, including the 1971 rally welcoming the judgement of the International Court of Justice when it declared the South African administration in Namibia illegal.
In 1972, Emvula was among the Swapo leaders who organised a march to welcome visiting UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim.
He was a
member of the Swapo Regional Executive Committee under the leadership of John Otto from 1971 to 1974, and was one of the leaders who presented a petition to Waldheim highlighting the political situation in Namibia and reiterating the demand of the Namibian people for genuine independence.
In 1974, Emvula was among the group of Swapo leaders who went into exile in Zambia to reinforce the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia. He received military training at the Tobias Hainyeko Training Centre in Lubango, Angola in 1980, and was appointed Chief Swapo Representative to Germany in the same year, where he served until 1986.
Emvula further served as political mobilisation officer in Luanda in 1986 and returned from exile to Namibia in 1989. He served as deputy director general at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation from 1990 until 1994. In 1997, he was appointed to the Public Service Commission.
Emvula was survived by his wife, Emerita Emvula, and two children.
Source: Namibia Press Agency